


Don't Let It See You're Afraid

by TheCowardSurvives



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Fear, Halloween, Nine x Rose - Freeform, Slow Romance, Small Towns, Spooky, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-27
Updated: 2019-11-20
Packaged: 2021-01-04 17:33:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21201443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheCowardSurvives/pseuds/TheCowardSurvives
Summary: The Doctor, Rose, and Captain Jack Harkness are suddenly in the middle of a serial murder investigation in a small factory town in the eighties. Will they catch the killer, or will they be the next victim?





	1. Chapter 1

Somewhere, in the far reaches of space, a simple Earth girl from the estates was nestled comfortably in a cocoon of bed sheets and comforters. Probably dreaming of sweet things or wild adventures, maybe a handsome stranger, whatever it was she was cozy and she was out like a light. That was until a large bang came at the door. She was inclined to ignore it. Her cozy slumber convincing her it was just a dream, the sound would go away… but then another followed. Her brow crinkled slightly as her consciousness began to bubble to the surface. A third bang came, causing the Earth girl to moan slightly as she tried to push her consciousness back don’t into obscurity. 

WHAM!

The door flew open to reveal the leather jacket wearing, big-eared and bigger smile wielding, Doctor. Rose pulled the blankets tightly over her head and groaned in irritation. The intruder marched his way into the room regardless. 

“Rose! Get up! I’ve got exciting news!” He chirped as he rushed to the edge of her bed. 

“Why don’t you burst into Jack’s room and tell him then.” A muffled response came from deep within the safety of the blankets. 

“Like you better.” The Doctor shrugged as he began poking at things around the tiny room. 

“Awe- flattered,” Rose said sarcastically.

“Don’t be, I can turn the cold on in a second.” He looked around the room. “Wouldn’t kill you to clean up around here, looks like a bomb went off.” Rose groaned and pulled the pillow from under her head to on top of it. “What’s this? Is that me?” He asked, moving swiftly to a wall of polaroid photos. He pointed at one of him working on something. “When did you take that?” He crinkled his nose as he inspected it. “Nice to know you care.” He grinned, then caught the rest of the pictures. They were all of Rose’s other friends. Mickey, her girlfriends, her mother. The Doctor frowned. Rose could suddenly hear the sound of her polaroid going off over and over, she threw the pillow off of her face angrily. 

“UGH! Doctor!” She growled. “Have you never heard of privacy? You can’t just burst into my bedroom like this!” 

“No closed doors between friends.” He grinned at her while fanning a polaroid picture back and forth. “Besides, my ship. I go where I want.” 

“What exactly is it you need to tell me that couldn’t wait for me to get up?” 

“I know exactly where we should go next!” He said beaming from ear to ear. He moved forward and sat on the edge of her bed. Rose, with her bed head and make-up free mug gave him a death glare. “I’ll give you a hint: Earth, back in time…” 

“I swear if you say, Winston Churchill…” Rose began threateningly. The Doctor laughed and shook his head. 

“No!” He clapped his hands together. “Thought we’d go to North America! The old West!” He seemed giddy. 

“I told Jack not to get you on those cowboy films.” She grumbled as she pulled the sheets up over her head and began rolling away. The Doctor jumped up and ripped the sheets off in one massive swoop. 

“Doctor!” Rose shrieked in scandalized horror as she attempted to shield herself from the cold. “What if I’d been naked?!” She was wearing a vest top and pajama shorts. The Doctor rolled his eyes. 

“You’re not that exciting.” He pointed out. “The only thing scandalous in this bed is that bear.” He pointed to the small furry blue teddy bear next to Rose. She looked mortified, her face instantly red. 

“GET. OUT.” She hollered as she whipped the bear harshly at him. The Doctor grinned like a madman as he ducked and backed out of the room cheekily. The door closed tight leaving him out in the hall. 

“Nice one,” Jack smirked as he passed him in the hallway wearing nothing but a dish towel around his waist. A toothbrush hanging from his mouth. The Doctor observed him as he passed. 

“You’ve got an ensuite in your room, why are walking around like that?” He asked, crossing his arms. 

“Because I AM that exciting.” He laughed as he rounded a corner and disappeared. 

Inside the room, finally back in some peace and quiet, Rose felt like she had no choice but to get up. She slowly pulled herself out of bed and trudged over to her dresser. Her eyes flicked up to her photo wall and she began to laugh. The Doctor had taken a bunch of photos of himself and stuck them over all of Rose’s other photos. She shook her head playfully. 

“What a brat.” She laughed. She reached a hand out to pull his goofy face off of her mother’s picture. Then she turned and stuck it to her headboard. His eyes were closed and he had a tight-lipped smile, he looked absolutely ridiculous. “That’s a face to wake up to in the morning.” She laughed before turning to finish getting dressed. 

————

Neon lights flickered bright reflections into the damp and dark small-town streets. Main Street Tanners Falls was not exactly akin to the Main Streets of the big cities, but it did its best to compete. It was lined with bright lights advertising a few dive bars, a movie theatre, a sleazy hotel, a much-loved coffee shop, and several small restaurants and shops. A few people walked about, some sharing cigarettes under awnings, others rushing home from a late shift. A few bikers sat laughing and drinking openly in front of the coffee shop without a care in the world. City hall and was lit up defiantly across the street from them, silent and stern, the police station just behind it. 

The sleepy blue-collar town was born from the use of the canal, stayed functioning thanks to the addition of the railway, and somehow managed to maintain life thanks to the candy factory opening in the fifties. The population was small, under six thousand, and most worked at the factory. It was the lifeblood of the town, so much so that they’d painted a little bonbon on their water tower. 

Around midnight, the movie theatre suddenly sprung with life. Moviegoers exited with great excitement and energy, all squeals and laughter. The movie of the night had been a popular horror film about a murderer who came in dreams that had come out a few months ago, Tanners Falls never got anything first hand. Two girls walking arm and arm tittered excitedly as they burst through the theatre doors.

“Oh, I don’t know how I’ll ever sleep again!” The one girl said, her massive blonde teased hair swaying with her laughter. Her makeup was bright and overdone, her earrings were huge, and she wore a loose pink dress with a large belt around her stomach. “Why did you take me to this?” 

“Everyone said it was cool!” The other girl giggled. Her hair was shorter with softer waves but still a lot of volume. She wore jeans with a pale blue blouse tucked into them.

“I actually think I might have peed a little I screamed so loud.” The first girl cackled. The walked on clumsily down the streets as two girlfriends do. A man with a greasy mullet watched as they passed, he tossed his cigarette to the ground and attempted to call them. “Get lost, creep.” The blonde cackled. The man flipped them off and walked the opposite way. “Why aren’t there any nice guys in this town?” She mused. 

“Tina, even if they were nice you still wouldn’t date them.” The brunette giggled. 

“Oh?” Tina looked at her curiously. 

“They’d probably be related to you!” They both cackled and thrust their hands out to swat the air away. 

“Tammy you slay me!” Tina stopped and began digging in her purse for her keys. Tammy held her hand up and moved her fingers menacingly like the character from the movie they’d just watched.

“Where’s your pass?!” She said in a phony creepy voice, quoting the movie. 

“Screw your pass!” Tina quoted the next line in return with a cigarette hanging from her mouth. They both laughed again. “Can I drive you home, Tammy? It’s a bit spooky out here after that.” Tammy shook her head. 

“No thanks,” She smiled. “It’s just around the block, and I don’t plan on falling asleep.” She laughed. “Besides, we know everyone in this town. Nothing ever happens here!” Tina nodded. 

“Alright then, see you tomorrow.” She waved and climbed into her car. 

“See you!” Tammy waved back and began to cross the main street. The roads weren’t active at that time of night, but even if it had been the middle of the day she’d still be able to walk across confidently. 

The night air was a little cold for a summers night, Tammy clutched herself and rubbed her arms a little. Looking ahead she could see the dim light of her neighbour, still up listening to Springsteen’s latest album, no doubt. She had grown quite accustomed to his blaring stereo coming through her walls at all hours, and the familiarity made her smile. A can clinked in the alley as she passed and it made her jump, she paused to look down the alley but decided not to linger in case it was a raccoon. 

“Psst, Tammy.” A voice whispered from the alley as Tammy had started moving away. She paused and looked back. It was too clear to have been her imagination. She took a few steps backward and looked down the alley. 

“Hello?” She called out, looking into the darkness. Nothing. “Is someone there?” A slight shuffling came from the alley but no response. Tammy turned to walk away again. 

“Tammy!” The voice whispered again. She turned back. 

“Oh come on, if you’re trying to spook me it isn’t going to work.” She said in an irritated tone and crossed her arms. “Al, if that’s you I’m gonna kick you right in the balls.” No response, but instead there was an eerie sound of metal scratching along metal. Tammy shivered. “Har har, we all saw the movie.” She rolled her eyes, then she squinted into the darkness. A shape was coming forward. It looked like a man… she gasped, a man in a hideous green and orange sweater, a tatter brown hat and a crazy glove covered in blades. As he stepped into the light his face became clear, disfigured by some freak accident. “T-that’s pretty damn good!” Tammy said shakily as she backed away. He was the complete image of the killer from the movie she’d just seen. “I-Is this some kind of promotion?” 

“Yeah,” The guy said flashing his finger blades. “A promotion to your afterlife.” He jumped forward. A scream split the night. 

————

Rose was taking her time coming down the hallway from the wardrobe room. She’d picked out a pretty classic western look for herself, knowing full well if she’d come to the control room in jeans The Doctor would make some sort of hypocritical speech. She’d been there, done that with him and she had already had enough of his antics for one morning. 

The ship rocked suddenly and Rose crashed into the wall. The TARDIS must have been in flight. She took a few steps forward, then the ship lurched again. There was no reason to worry, the flight was a bit rough sometimes. A few more steps, then the ship shook hard knocking her to her knees. 

“Blimey!” She grunted as she pulled herself back up. Maybe there was trouble, she decided best to find out. She started running towards the control room. 

Upon entrance she noted Jack was already there, assisting The Doctor with lever pulling and button-pushing. The Doctor was wearing a cowboy hat, which would have been extremely amusing if it wasn’t for the serious look on his face. Something was up for sure. Rose ran into the room and gripped the control panel for support before the next big lurch. 

“What’s going on?” She yelled over the noise. 

“Change of plans.” The Doctor replied, reaching around her to turn a dial. 

“Encountered a strange signal on our merry way to the Old West.” Jack clarified, holding down two buttons. “We’ll need to make a slight detour.”

“What kind of signal?” Rose asked looking over at The Doctor. He didn’t answer. The TARDIS shuttered as it vibrated everything inside for a solid six seconds, then everything went quiet. The Doctor pulled up the monitor. 

“There.” He said and nodded his head. “Successful tracking.” Jack leaned in and looked over his shoulder. Rose pushed him aside to look between both their heads at a monitor neither human could read. 

“So where’d we end up?” She asked. The Doctor turned to look back at her. 

“Canada!” He grinned. 

“Oh,” Rose said with disappointment. The Doctor frowned and turned around to face her. 

“Oh? Why Oh?” He asked curiously and she just shrugged. “Canada is like Britain Light.” 

“I always thought they were more like ‘USA Light’” Rose said with air quotes. The Doctor was the one to shrug this time. 

“At this point in time, only two years ago they were still under the Queen. You have the same television programming and almost all of the same heritage.” The Doctor was getting into a rant about immigration to Canada but Rose was already drifting out of listening. 

“What year, Doctor?” Jack asked as the lecture seemed to be wrapping up. The Doctor looked slightly affronted by being cut short. 

“Nineteen eighty-four.” He replied flatly. “Guess I won’t need this.” The Doctor pulled the cowboy hat off and tossed it backward. It landed flawlessly on Jack’s head and Rose clapped giddily. Jack grinned and tipped it up so he could see better.

“Oh yes!” Jack clapped his hands together and rubbed them. “The Earth's eighties were the BEST time for fashion.” Rose and The Doctor looked at him silently. “Why do you think they brought it back one hundred and seventy-two times?” He defended. “Rose, get back in the closet we gotta look the part for this one!” 

“What?” She looked annoyed. “I got all hee-haw for nothing then?” The Doctor laughed at that. Rose gave him a little look before following Jack out of the room. The Doctor brought his eyes back to the monitor. Something was very wrong out there, something unearthly enough to catch the attention of the TARDIS.


	2. Chapter 2

Tanners Falls under daylight was something left to be desired. The streets were pretty dirty for a small town, cigarette butts and liquor bottles were everywhere. An elderly woman sat on her porch in her nightgown and smoked a cigarette while she watched her neighbours dog take a dump on her lawn. She shook her head in disapproval but made no move to chastise is. The very image of Tanners Falls. 

A wheezing sort of sound seemed to scare the dog off. The old woman looked over in the direction of the locks, but couldn’t see anything. She blew out a puff of smoke and tossed the cigarette butt out onto her lawn. She turned and walked back into the house, her raspy voice calling to her husband to take out the trash. 

The TARDIS had materialized in an under-maintained park next to the locks for the canal. It was quiet, aside from the rushing water and birds chirping. The Doctor stepped out from the TARDIS and smiled at the scene before him. Rose stepped out and grimaced. It was a grey day, the air smelled like foul water, and there was a dirty old man sleeping under some newspapers not three meters away from them. 

“So, this is Canada.” She nodded. She was wearing high wasted acid-washed jeans with a very baggy sports tee tucked into them. Her hair was teased just a little and pushed to one side. “Not what I pictured at all.” The Doctor nodded. A mangey dog scurried over to the TARDIS and lifted its leg, The Doctor lurched into action and shooed it away. 

“Not a good representation, I admit.” The Doctor said coming back to Rose’s side. “Obviously, we can’t judge a whole country on every tiny factory town.” Rose nodded. “The people really are charming here.” He said encouragingly, and then, unfortunately, the homeless man took that time to stand up and urinate. The Doctor pursed his lips and Rose covered her eyes. 

“Nice.” Jack stepped out of the TARDIS and observed the man. He was wearing tight jeans, a tight white vest top, and a big bulky denim jacket. He was somewhere between Freddy Mercury and Bruce Springsteen. “I’d say this place definitely needs saving.”

“What exactly are we doing here, Doctor?” Rose asked as the trio began to walk lazily along the canal. The Doctor had his hands in his pockets and looked around thoughtfully. It wasn’t a bad town, there was a lot of charm under the grime. A lot of history there. “Doctor?” Rose said again, reaching out a hand to touch his arm. 

The newspapers that had previously kept the homeless man warm had tumbled aimlessly in the wind. One of the pages smacked against The Doctor’s leg. Rose frowned and crossed her arms as he continued to ignore her and bent down to read the headline. There was a large picture of a young man with fair hair, a healthy mustache and a healthier mullet. 

'LATEST DEATH IN A STRING OF FIFTEEN MURDERS' the headline read. The Doctor furrowed his brow and snapped the paper into a straighter position. 'The body of Jacob Peters was discovered early Sunday morning, the twenty-fifth, very near to the newly claimed National Historic Bascule Bridge. The latest in a long and mysterious string of deaths. Local police are doing the best they can to uncover anything…' The Doctor folded up the paper hurriedly and checked his watch. 

“Yesterday.” He muttered to himself. “Right, let’s take a little walk, shall we?” He turned to the others and handed Rose his paper. She quickly looked it over bit her lip. 

“You think this is what brought us here?” 

“Could be.” The Doctor shrugged and hurried forward along the edge of the canal. Rose passed the paper on to Jack and jogged to catch up to The Doctor. 

“So we’re headed to the crime scene, yeah?” The Doctor nodded. Jack folded up the paper and tucked it in his back pocket, then sprinted to catch up with the team. 

“How do you know where to find the bridge?” He asked. The Doctor lifted his chin up to direct their attention down the canal. In the distance, behind some trees just barely out of sight, a strange rusty figure stood ominously looming over the backdrop of the small town. “Ah.” Jack nodded. 

————

Constable Steven Hemlock was a pretty average guy. He liked average beer, average television, and average meals. He lived in an average house, on an average street, with his tired old German Shepard that he lovingly named ‘The Littlest Hobo’ or ‘Bo’ for short. He was a lean man with a five-day beard and a scraggly head of auburn hair that he’d always attempted to tame when in uniform. Deep bags under his eyes gave away that his friendly outward facing personality was not all it seemed. 

Leaning against his cruiser casually, he took a long drag from his cigarette and puffed it into the morning sky. It had been a rough few weeks for the Constable. Tanners Falls was a bit seedy, but it was nothing their station couldn’t handle. Bar fights and domestic squabbles were the height of their excitement. They’d been completely unprepared for what was turning out to be a serial killer in their midst. 

A few teens had stumbled through the brush, all laughing and chattering anxiously. The Constable tossed his cigarette to the ground with one final puff of smoke and stood up to appear intimidating to them. He’d been charged with securing the area that the most recent body had been discovered just the day before. Turned out, kids of the eighties were very into checking out crime scenes. 

“Eh.” He called out to them, stopping them all dead in their tracks. They couldn’t have been more than fourteen the lot of them. “Go on with you, nothing here but an old bridge and a grumpy cop.”

“Oh, Constable Hemlock!” One of the teens smiled when they recognized him. “Come on, please let us have a look!” 

“Have some respect for the dead,” Hemlock warned them. “Don’t you have television to watch or something?” He pulled a fresh cigarette from his breast pocket and searched for a lighter. “Mr. Dressup or whatever else.” 

“Kids stuff!” One of the teens wrinkled their nose, clearly offended by the suggestion. Hemlock lit pulled lit a match, held it to his cigarette then waved it out just as he waved off the kid’s words. He was about to respond but three strangers stepped through the brush and startled the children. 

“Hello!” The tallest of the three said with a goofy wave. The Kids looked him up and down, then back to the Constable. 

“Come on guys.” One of the teens said quietly, they all turned to head back out of the clearing. The tall man looked shocked at their response. The short woman with him nudged him playfully in the arms. 

“You have a real way with children.” She winked. 

“Was it something I said?” He looked back at her, then at the third man who only shrugged. 

“Not used to strangers,” Hemlock spoke threw tight lips. He inhaled and raised a hand to take the cigarette out, then blew the smoke out. “This town doesn’t see a lot of outside traffic, especially foreigners.” He took a few steps forward and offered his hand with a pleasant smile. The Doctor took it gladly. “Constable Steven Hemlock, you must be the guys from Toronto.” 

“Yes, just arrived.” The Doctor nodded and pulled out his psychic paper. Hemlock barely glanced at it, he nodded. 

“About time, we’re in way over our heads here.” Hemlock held a palm to his head, his cigarette billowing a fine stream of smoke from his fingers. “We’ve never had anything like this before, been desperate for some help.” The Doctor nodded. “Grateful to have you here, Detective.” Hemlock added with a smile.

“Doctor, actually.” The Doctor corrected. “Need some validation for spending all that time in school.” He added hurriedly after noticing the Constables quirked eyebrow. 

“Detective and a Doctor?” Hemlock smiled with what seemed like an air of relief. 

“Had to send the best for this particular case.” The Doctor shrugged, Hemlock nodded quickly as if that was obvious. Then his eyes looked over at Rose and Jack who stood there like two bumps on a log. Rose snapped into life and thrust her hand forward.

“Detective Rose Tyler.” She offered. “His partner.” She leaned forward and gave Hemlock a cheeky wink. “And the brains of the operation.” Hemlock smiled politely and looked up at The Doctor who was shaking his head in disagreement. 

“Captain Jack Harkness.” Jack broke forward with his best winning smile and gripped firmly onto the shocked Constables hand. 

“Captain?” He asked. Jack looked back at The Doctor but he wasn’t offering anything. 

“Retired armed forces.” He smiled, still shaking the Constables hand. “The Doctor pulled me in on this case for my background and experience.” Hemlock nodded slowly as he accepted the information. “We go way back,” Jack added as he took back his hand. 

“Like I said, we’re all grateful to have you.” Hemlock smiled weakly. “I’m sure you guys have seen it all, maybe this will be a piece of cake for you.” He turned and headed towards the caution tape that blocked off the scene of the crime. “The bodies back at the morgue but you can have a look about here.” He said, lifting the tape for the others to walk through. 

The Doctor looked around carefully, not letting a single detail escape him. The grass was trampled, there was a depression from where the body had once been, but nothing much more. He crouched down and touched the soil. He brought it to his nose and had a sniff. The Constable took a long drag and eyed him curiously. 

“Bit unorthodox,” Rose whispered as The Doctor tasted the dirt. “But he’s brilliant, really.” The Doctor shot up suddenly. 

“Right, what can you tell me about the scene when it was first discovered?” He said, all business. 

“Well, isn’t much to say.” The Constable scratched his head with his cigarette hand, causing his hat to tilt up. “Just like the others, there wasn’t much evidence. Just the body… shriveled up like an old prune. Never seen anything like it.” The Doctor nodded. “Have you?” They locked eyes. The Doctor decided not to answer that question, he’d seen things in his time that would horrify a sadist. 

“Can you show me the bodies?” He asked instead. The Constable nodded. 

————

The morgue, which was actually located in the funeral home a couple of blocks over from the police department, was an obviously depressing picture. The outside appeared to be a plain white house, and inside was a couple receiving rooms. The whole vibe gave Rose the creeps and she clutched at her own arms to warm herself as the caretaker lead them down the long hallway towards the basement door. 

The caretaker was another odd thing about the place. He was like something from a Hitchcock film, all spindly and elderly. Obviously, past his retirement age, it seemed a good hunch that maybe no one else was willing to do such a grim job. The poor old man looked exhausted as he reached for the door handle as if at any moment he could collapse. 

“It’s been so busy, as you well know…” He droned on. “and without any help you see, it’s been a real ordeal here.” They followed him quietly down the stairs. “I don’t mean to complain, I know this town has been through Hell…” Rose tuned out the sound of the caretaker as her brain flashed back to a very similar setting. Cardiff. The Gelf. Her first back in time adventure with The Doctor. Her eyes moved around the room carefully as she went through her memories. The Doctor had looked back at her, clearly having recalled that time as well. He reached out and touched her hand thoughtfully. She grinned and gripped it tightly. Then the moment was gone. 

“This is the victim from yesterday,” Hemlock said as the caretaker pulled back the sheet. “Jacob Peters, Seventeen.” The Doctor shook his head sadly in regret. 

“Seventeen?” Rose asked with disbelief. “Truly?” Looking down at the body it looked to be the mummified corpse of two million-year-old person. The skin was dry and cracked as if they’d been left in a dehumidifier to turn to jerky but it went too far. The Doctor leaned in and put on a glove. Tilting the head slightly he discovered the eyeballs to be missing, then opening the mouth he discovered the tongue too. 

“Cool and solid seventeen.” The Doctor confirmed as he leaned back and snapped the glove off his hand. 

“Oh, haven’t heard that in a spell.” The elderly caretaker chuckled. The Doctor shot him a quick smile for appreciating his reference, then turned to face his companions. 

“Reminds me an awful lot of Russia.” Jack stated cryptically to avoid giving their identities away. He was, of course, referring to their emergency response adventure to a crashed ship in Russia that was literally sucking the life out of the town and its people. The Doctor bit at his thumb thoughtfully as he considered it. 

“No, this is different.” He stated flatly. Then he glanced back at the boy. A wave of softness washed gently over his features. Something that only Rose had noticed and her heart ached for him. What went through his mind, she often wondered. She reached out to touch his arm supportively. 

“Any theories?” She whispered softly. The Doctor then blinked quickly and the softness was gone. He gave Rose a fleeting smile. “Some.” Then he looked over at Jack and the Constable. “Jack, you’ll go with the Constable and look over the records of each attack. Rose, you’re with me.” 

“Saw that coming,” Jack muttered, but a grinning Rose quickly elbowed him in the stomach. 

“I was here first.” She reminded quietly through smiling teeth. Jack smiled and turned to join Hemlock who seemed a little taken back by the whole situation. 

“Alright, you and me pal!” Jack grinned with open arms. “Let’s scan some documents!” He slapped the constable on the back in a friendly gesture. 

“You let him boss you around like that? Military man?” The Constable said quietly as they climbed the stairs. 

“Oh yeah.” Jack laughed. “No one outranks The Doctor, get to know him and you’ll be taking orders too.” 

Their voices drifted away leaving The Doctor and Rose with the old caretaker and the silent corpses. The Doctor thanked the old man for his time and his troubles. He promised that things would go back to normal soon, Rose looked up at the ceiling and wondered how many promises he’d made the he’d broken. 

“Ready?” He said as he brushed past her and up the stairs at a trot. Rose side and chased after him. 

————

Back in daylight, The Doctor and Rose paused at the sidewalk of the somewhat busy Main Street. Cars were parked on an angle facing into small shops all along the street, probably the employees as the sidewalks didn’t seem to be getting much traffic. In fact, the only place that seemed to be booming was the coffee shop across the street. A group of bikers sat out front and laughed boisterously. 

“Tim Horton’s.” Rose read the sign and tapped at her cheek. “I’ve heard that before, they’re crazy for it here… must be good.” She mused the last bit quietly to herself. Then turned to The Doctor. “Seems like the town hub! Let’s have a look.” She offered her hand and The Doctor grinned at her obvious attempt to get a snack on the job. They easily crossed the street and onto the opposite sidewalk. There had to have been about seven bikers and their associates of one form or another. A rough-looking older woman dragged on her cigarette as she looked the two of them up and down in an obvious manner. 

“Eh, bit young for you, ain’t she bud?” One of the bikers called out as he caught sight of The Doctor and Rose approaching. Rose glanced up at The Doctor curiously, but he appeared to be lost in thought, he likely hadn’t heard the comment at all. The group laughed and someone made childish smooching sounds as they passed. Perhaps The Doctor could tune the world out, but Rose couldn’t. Her nose crinkled in disgust.

“She’s into that old leather wearing type.” Someone teased and a laugh erupted. 

“This is the group for you right here, sweetheart!” Another called after them through the laughter. Once inside Rose risked a glance back. The group was still laughing but went on as if they’d forgotten what they’d just done. 

“What’s that all about?” She asked scrunching up her nose again as she witnessed some strange shenanigans from the group. The Doctor wasn’t listening, he didn’t respond. An older woman in front of her turned around and looked at her as if Rose had been talking to her. 

“They’re always there.” She informed with a look of disapproval. “This town is basically run by them. Best to stay away from them if you’re new in town.” 

“Good to know.” The Doctor nodded with a smile, now suddenly alert. The woman, just noticing The Doctor, gave a bashful smile and a nod as if she’d done him a big favour. 

“You two from overseas?” She asked curiously as the long line to the counter moved up a pace. 

“London, originally,” Rose answered. “We’ve actually come down from Toronto to look into this nasty business you lot have been going through.” 

“What a gorgeous accent.” The woman grinned and the line moved up again. “So classy.” The Doctor and Rose looked at each other with slight disbelief and held back a chuckle when the lady had turned her back. Rose’s accent wasn’t exactly the Queen’s English, but then again, the strange brand of Canadian accent this town sported revealed that they were accustomed to a low brow way of speaking. The woman spun back around, and the two strangers pulled straight faces. “Yes, it’s been a real horror around here. No one's getting any sleep. Good to know they’ve finally got some of the big timers in to look at it. Lord knows this place isn’t equipped to deal.” She was next at the counter and she spun around quickly. “Double double please and thanks.” She said so quickly Rose had barely registered it. “Lovely to meet you both, I hope you enjoy our little town…” She smiled brightly then she walked away. 

Rose gave The Doctor another look and let out a small laugh. They stepped up to the counter and she was immediately drawn to the display of donuts in a glass cabinet. The young man behind the counter looked to be about Rose’s age. He tapped his finger as he watched the line build up behind the two foreigners. 

“Doctor, I’m not sure what to do here!” Rose sighed as she looked over the assortment. 

“Better have the mixed box then.” The Doctor nodded in mock seriousness. Then grinned widely at the young man. “Right, two teas please.” 

“Coffee, Doctor!” Rose corrected with a light tap to The Doctor’s arm. “Their whole thing is coffee here.” She reminded him, then pushed him aside to place the order. “Two coffees please… and the box.” She smiled her best smile and the young man behind the counter couldn’t help but offer a meek one in return. 

When they got their order the two of them sat in the from the corner of the restaurant right next to the window where they could see the goings-on. Rose took a bite of every donut and passed off the ones she didn’t approve of to The Doctor, who took them without question as he stared blankly out the window. His eyes scanned the few people that passed by and he thought back to the body sitting in the morgue just across the street. 

“Nothing to write home about,” Rose said as she sipped the hot coffee. “Although, I don’t really like coffee so…” The Doctor wasn’t listening. He took a sip of his own coffee, his brain somewhere far away. Rose regarded him for a moment as she munched on a cream-filled donut. “You know what it is, don’t you?” She said quietly. He turned to look at her sharply. 

“I have an idea.” He said after a moment, then turned back to the window. “Tea would have been better.” He muttered and took another drink of his coffee. Rose frowned but decided to ignore his comment, especially since she secretly agreed. 

“Ah- tourists!” A large grinning man slammed his palms into The Doctor and Rose’s table causing them both to jump. Rose gasped in a piece of donut and began to cough. The Doctor leaned forward and smacked her on the back a little too firmly. The offending donut piece emerged from her throat, and she gave him a hard look. “What brings you to our quaint little town?” The man spoke at an uncomfortable volume, he pulled a chair up to their table and sat. 

“How do you know we’re tourists?” Rose asked. 

“Never seen you before.” He shrugged. Rose looked at The Doctor with a face that asked: how small is this town?! They both looked back at the man. 

“Investigating the recent murders.” The Doctor said truthfully, then leaned back in his chair confidently. “You seem like a man who knows things,” the man smiled as if he’d been given the biggest compliment. “See anything unusual these past few weeks?” 

“Yeah, murders.” He said leaning forward with wide eyes, then he leaned back and laughed. Rose pushed her chair a little further away from the man. He was far too boisterous for her to deal with. “Ah, but seriously, no. Haven’t seen a thing.” He shook his head unhelpfully. “You been to the factory yet? Get the tour?” He asked suddenly, his body leaning over the table and his wide eyes darted from Rose to The Doctor eagerly. Rose winced at his closeness and shook her head. “You really should do that.”

“People have died.” Rose pointed out, a little scandalized. “A killer is on the loose! Not the time for sweets.” She subtly moved the box of donuts away from herself. The man nodded with his whole body. 

“Sorry. Absolutely right, absolutely right. Sorry.” He looked over his shoulder then back between the two of them. “Listen, I don’t know much- but I know someone who might.” Rose and The Doctor leaned in. “See that lady?” He pointed to a woman wearing an old worn-out jacket with tatty hair pushing a shopping cart full of junk. “Goes by the name Crazy Jenny,”

“By choice?” The Doctor asked but the man ignored him. 

“She claims she saw something, but the local cops won’t take her seriously on account of-“ He held a finger to his head and moved it in a circular motion to suggest insanity. “you know.” 

“So then why should we talk to her?” Rose asked. 

“Because it’s a place to start.” The Doctor stood up abruptly and headed for the door. Rose looked at the few remaining donuts in horror, then quickly chose to abandon the box to follow him. The large man shrugged and dug into the leftover goods. 

“Doctor, wait up!” Rose called after him. The bikers looked over their shoulders as they passed. “Oi, make me ditch my donuts the least you can do is wait for me to catch up!”

“Probably best you didn’t eat them all anyway.” He called back without stopping. It earned a collective ‘oooo’ from the bikers. Rose turned to give them all a hard look and they broke out into laughter. She proceeded to chase after him.

“You’re getting a slap, you are!” She said causing the bikers to hoot and holler at the shrinking figures. 

Crazy Jenny had paused midway over the main bridge and was midst sorting through her kart when The Doctor caught up to her. She didn’t look up at him, just kept searching for something and mumbling to herself. Incoherent babble. Rose caught up just in time to see the woman pull a garbage bag from the kart. It contained something soft in shape and a strange liquid seeped from the bag. Rose gaped as the woman tossed it over the side and into the canal. 

“Jenny?” The Doctor asked softly, ignoring whatever horrific act had transpired. Rose couldn’t, she was still in shock. “I’m The Doctor, this is Rose. We’re investigating the murders, we want to hear about what you saw…” She had ignored him until list last few words, then her head jerked up. Her eyes were a stunning shade of blue, hidden under a wild mess of hair. There was something almost unearthly about them. 

“What I saw?” She asked in shock, then turned sharply to push her kart. “They didn’t want to hear.” The Doctor followed beside her as she scurried along. 

“But we do.” He said gently. “We’ll believe you.” Jenny stopped. Then she looked around frantically, her eyes rested on Rose. She seemed to relax a little, she sat down on the ground. The Doctor and Rose kneeled to join her at her level. 

“No one believes.” She said quietly. “I saw it.” 

“Saw what?” Rose asked softly. Jenny looked up at her and her eyes made Rose’s breath catch. 

“The monster,” Jenny whispered. “Slimy and large… it had four horrible tentacles reaching out! Reaching!” She emphasized the word by reaching her grime-covered fingers out to Rose. Then she turned to look at The Doctor, her face filled with horror as if she were seeing it all right there in front of her again. “Its eyes were a glowing red, I shall never forget its horrible face… and the boy… oh, just a boy…” Jenny began to cry. The Doctor dug into his pockets until he found a handkerchief and handed it to her. She took it and set it on top of her head gratefully, then used her sleeve to brush away her tears. 

“Where did you see this happen, Jenny?” The Doctor asked patiently. She pointed a shaky finger to the alley a block back between a pub and a book shop. 

“Down there.” She whispered. “Last week… I was in the bins, it didn’t see me.” There was a long and awkward silence. The Doctor assessed Jenny carefully, he looked at her in the way he looked at most things, with a sterile curiosity. He was trying to figure her out or perhaps had already figured her out. Jenny looked back at him through matted curtains, her eyes intense and void at the same time. Rose cleared her throat in an attempt to remind the two of her presence, but they ignored her.

“Thank you for your time,” Rose said softly. “Can we get you anything?” Jenny shook her head. The Doctor helped her to her feet. 

“Is there somewhere safe you can stay for a few days?” He asked as she turned to her kart and started rummaging. 

“I’ll be safe.” She nodded. “I have a place.” That didn’t exactly sound convincing. She retrieved a strange object from deep within a bag and handed it to The Doctor. “Thank you.” She said holding whatever it was tightly in his palm. Then she turned quickly and left, yelling something about wolves to no one in particular. The Doctor opened his palm to reveal a tiny gold object that seemed to surprise The Doctor, he whirled around to look for Jenny but she was gone. 

“What is that?” Rose asked peeking over his shoulder. He quickly shoved it into his pocket. 

“Why’d you have to rush her off like that?” He asked in a harsh tone. 

“You’re joking?” Rose put her hands on her hips and gave him a look. He turned and started walking away. “I didn’t rush her off, I figured she’d said everything she wanted…” She shrugged, but the Doctor didn’t respond. “Doctor, the poor soul has enough on her plate, she doesn’t need us digging into what seems like an already pretty messy mind.” Rose scurried to catch up to him. “Besides, the police clearly knew they couldn’t rely on her account…” The Doctor halted abruptly causing Rose to crash into his back. He spun around to face her, he had that angry look on his face that Rose really didn’t like when it was directed at her. 

“Things aren’t always as they seem.” He stated in a low tone. “You shouldn’t just dismiss people like that. Especially with all you’ve seen” He looked her up and down. “I’m surprised at you, Rose Tyler.” Rose took a cautious step back. 

“Doctor if you’re attempting to get rough with me,” Rose frowned and held a warning hand up. “The TARDIS is just around the corner.” She grinned and pointed a finger at his stern face as if waiting for it to crack. It didn’t. Her shoulders dropped and she sighed. “Alright, I’m sorry! I’ll go back and get her.” Rose turned to head after the old woman but The Doctor caught her by the wrist. Glancing back she could see his anger had passed. 

“No, moments passed.” He said then released her wrist. He let out a big sigh, he could never stay upset with her. “Just… try to be less human, alright?” He spoke in a very patronizing voice. Rose hated that. She rubbed at her wrist and stuck her tongue out at him when he turned around. As if she could help being a human. 

They walked back towards the alley that Jenny had pointed to. In the daylight it looked average enough. There were bins, scraps of garbage and cigarette butts… nothing too spooky. Rose took the lead and examined the ground for slime or any other signs that Jenny had been correct about what she saw. The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and fiddled with it a bit before crouching down to inspect the ground with it. 

From the corner of her eye, Rose spotted the corner of what appeared to be a small booklet poking out from under a bag of garbage. She slid the bag to the side with her foot and bent down to retrieve it. It was a comic book, pretty common for that time, and place considering they were next door to a book shop. Flipping it over Rose examined the cover. 

“Doctor…” Rose called to him without turning around. He flicked off his sonic screwdriver and stuck it in his pocket, then stood to join her. “Think I found your monster.” Rose rotated her upper body slightly to look back at him and held up the comic book. On the cover was the exact monster, described by Jenny. The Doctor snatched it out of her hand and examined it. Rose turned fully around to face with him with a cocky stance. “Think someone owes me an apology?” He glanced up at her for a brief second. 

“No.” He stated then tossed the book into the bin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The gentleman in the Tims was inspired heavily by John Candy.


	3. Chapter 3

The police station of Tanners Falls was a pretty good reflection of the town itself. Small, outdated, and sort of a mess. Captain Jack and Constable Hemlock were in a meeting room with nothing but a large table stacked with papers and evidence files. Jack had long since abandoned his denim jacket and stood confidently scanning over the papers on the table. His foot was resting on one of the chairs while his elbow rested on his raised knee. He stroked his chin thoughtfully as he tried to digest everything he had read. The Constable was all but passed out in a chair at the end of the table. 

“So,” Jack said, jarring the poor policeman from his nap. “You’ve essentially got nothing.” He gestured to the table. “No real evidence, no witnesses, no suspects… all the stories are exactly the same… found dead the next morning.” Jack dropped his propped leg to the floor and ran both hands through his hair in frustration. 

“Well, I told you that.” Hemlock sighed. 

“Yeah, I know,” Jack muttered as he scanned the papers. “But there’s gotta be something we can pull from this…” He tapped on his chin thoughtfully. “You said you had a gang issue?”

“Bikers, yeah.” Hemlock nodded. “But they’ve not killed anyone in a decade. Gone pretty soft… but, we wouldn’t be cops if we didn’t check them out first.” He began rifling in his pocket for his cigarettes. “Wasn’t their style, too clean, too odd and too much left behind…. besides, they were quite upset about the whole thing really.” Jack made a soft hum of acknowledgment, his eyes were still fixated on the papers. 

“Perhaps a rival biker gang?” He offered. Hemlock shook his head. 

“We asked, they said the only rivals they’ve got are in Quebec, and attacking random locals isn’t their style. These are their people too, you know?”

“So we can probably rule out human suspects,” Jack mumbled quietly to himself. 

“Pardon?” Jack didn’t answer. He tapped his thumb silently against his lips, then turned to face the Constable. 

“I think we need to find The Doctor…” 

————

The Doctor and Rose sat cozily on a park bench overlooking the old locks of the town. The Doctor had his arm along the back of the bench, he was biting the end of his thumb with thoughtful concentration as the sun played off the water and danced across his stone-like features. Rose was slouched in her seat, less serious but just as thoughtful. They’d been sitting there for a lot longer than she would have liked. The Doctor had been deep in thought for some time and sitting in silence for that long was not one of Rose’s best abilities. She picked at her nails out of boredom, then glanced up at The Doctor with a big sigh. This mystery was bothering him, whether he had the answers or not. Something called them there, something was going on that was bigger than this town. Rose watched briefly as a piece of fast-food garbage drifted by. She sighed again. 

“What’s going through your mind, Doctor?” Rose leaned into him, just under his arm. If he was surprised at the intimate gesture, he wasn’t giving it away. He looked down at her. “It’s got to be aliens, otherwise why would we be here?” She picked at her nails again. “Surely you, having met thousands of species, have some theory on what this might be?” 

“I have a few theories.” The Doctor confessed. Rose glanced up at him again. Her face just under his. 

“Are you worried?” The Doctor didn’t respond right away. He pursed his lips, and Rose knew the answer. “We’ll figure it out. We always do.” She smiled, and The Doctor couldn’t help but smile back. There was silence between them once more, and Rose found herself snuggling deeper into his side. “You know, Doctor. After we solve this one, I say let’s go on your Wild West holiday.”

“I thought you hated Westerns?” 

“I did…” She grinned with her tongue between her teeth. “but I’d die to see you in chaps.” The Doctor laughed softly, then looked off into the calm lock waters. 

“Rose Tyler." She loved the sound of her name on his lips. "You’re something else, you are.” He glanced down at her. Rose was suddenly made aware of how close their faces were. She took a moment to spare a quick glance at The Doctor’s lips before meeting his eyes. She couldn’t help herself. When it came to him, everything she felt was beyond all reasoning. Nothing made sense, or would ever make sense, and that seemed to be okay with her. In that moment, she decided to take a chance. She let her eyes fall to his lips once more, a little slower this time so he couldn't help but notice, then she began to lift herself slowly to meet them. 

Were they in the middle of a serial murder investigation? Sure. Was that the best time for romance? Probably not, but Rose Tyler was never one to obey the rules of anything. Sometimes you just had to live in the moment and go with your gut, and much to her surprise, The Doctor wasn’t pulling away. Right, well, it was really happening then. Her eyes fluttered shut the moment she felt The Doctor’s breath on her lips. She licked her own in preparation for impact. 

“Oh- sure!” Jack’s voice split through Rose like a bolt of lightning down her spine. Her eyes flew open, The Doctor had his neck craned away from her to acknowledge the intruders. Rose felt her heart sink. The moment was gone, lost forever. “Let’s split up and look for clues, Scoob- only Fred and Daphne always go together to make out while everyone else does the real work.” 

“Oh, please.” Rose frowned at the two approaching men. Constable Hemlock appeared to be a little embarrassed for them, which only made Rose feel worse. “We’ve covered a lot of ground. The Doctor’s just been mulling it all over.” 

“And you were, what?” Jack put his hands on his hips. “Offering him a little incentive support?” Rose began to blush. 

“What have you figured out?” The Doctor asked firmly, he was making his way towards the two men. Jack cleared his throat as if he was the one suddenly caught doing something embarrassing. 

“I think we can safely rule out…” Jack paused and glanced back at Hemlock. “Anyone local.” The Doctor nodded his head. 

“Was there anything left at the crime scenes? Anything at all?”

“Nothing obvious.”

“Is there a hotel around here?” That question was directed at Hemlock, who seemed a little surprised to be noticed at that point. He cleared his throat and nodded. 

“Yeah, The River hotel. We had booked a room for you…” Rose and Jack exchanged glances, but The Doctor remained unfazed. “Shouldn’t be any problem getting another one…” 

“We’ll need three.” Rose confirmed, just in case the Constable was getting any sort of idea about her and The Doctor. Though she wasn’t sure why it mattered. 

“Shouldn’t be a problem.” Hemlock shrugged. “We don’t get too many tourists.” 

“Great.” The Doctor said flatly. “We’ll head there now.” 

“Now?” Jack asked, looking a little stunned. 

“Doctor, it’s only five o'clock?” Rose added, just as confused. 

“Earlier to bed, earlier to rise.” The Doctor grinned. “Besides…” he glanced back at the setting sun. “I don’t think we want to be outside after dark here.” 

————

The hotel was as seedy as they come. 

Rose grimaced as the door to her room swung slowly open to reveal a tiny dark room with nothing but a bed. Her hand slid along the wall, and she flicked the light on to reveal the hideous old curtains and bed covers. With a sigh, she crossed the floor and flung open the curtains. There was a view of the side street, the water tower, and a partial view of the river. Below, the streets were already deserted. It was only a little past six, but the sun had fully gone down and the street lamps were lit. A lonely man sauntered out of a busted old pickup truck and headed towards the hotel entrance. 

There was a bar in the hotel that was clearly the hot spot in town. Constable Hemlock had advised them to avoid it, and Rose found no reason to ignore his warning. The people of this little town were very friendly, but there was something very worn about them. Like life had just beaten them down and now all that was left was to drink till you forgot how to feel like crap. Rose knew all about those types. She had been surrounded by them in the Estates. Somehow, it felt more suffocating when it was an entire remote town like that. 

A soft thumping sound caused Rose to turn from the window. It sounded like it was coming from inside her room. She quickly scanned the room, under the bed, and in the closet. The thumping persisted. Rose crinkled her nose and listened carefully. That’s when she noticed the door on the wall. The thumping seemed to be coming from the door. Rose took a brave step forward and held her hand to the small knob. The thumping continued. Without thinking twice, Rose clasped the handle and pulled the door open. 

“Oh!” She gasped, as standing there like a mirrored reflection was The Doctor, also holding open a door. 

“Hello!” He grinned. 

“Adjoining rooms?” Rose stepped through curiously to look into The Doctors room. It was as depressing as hers. He too had opened the curtains to take in the surroundings. “Does it go through to Jack as well?” 

“Nope.” The Doctor stepped past Rose and looked into her room. Rose spun around and followed him as he passed through the doors. “Curious old hotel, isn’t it?” The Doctor said as he approached her window. 

“I suppose,” Rose replied. 

“Curious old town…” The Doctor said, a little more distantly. He stared out the window. “Why this place?” He said quietly to himself. 

“What is it, Doctor?” Rose asked, now at his side. “What is it you're not telling me?” The Doctor glanced down at her softly. 

“What are you afraid of most?” The question caught Rose completely off guard. 

“W-what do you mean?” 

“I think it’s a pretty simple question.” The Doctor shrugged. 

“I… I don’t know.” Rose bit her lip. “Rats? Maybe? I’m not sure- why do you ask?” The Doctor looked out the window again. He never answered. Rose waited for a while, then stared out the window with him. “I can’t believe the real detectives from Toronto never showed up… I wonder if they just didn’t take this seriously.” The Doctor remained quiet. “Either way, it worked out for us… not sure what we’d tell the Constable otherwise.” Another silence fell over the room. Rose turned from the window and sat on the edge of the bed. “Oof, this bed is something ancient… I don’t understand why we couldn’t just stay in the TARDIS tonight… could have changed my clothes anyway…” The Doctor spun around suddenly. 

“Would you like to go for a drink?” His proposal caught Rose off guard, but the invite felt like a date and Rose found her heart flutter like a school girl’s. 

“Uh, yeah, sure.” She said. She could feel the warmth coming from her cheeks and she cursed the feeling. The Doctor breezed past her and pulled the door open to the hall. “Where will we go?” Rose asked as she followed him. 

“Down to the lobby.” The Doctor shrugged and passed through the stairwell door. Rose paused briefly, thinking over Constable Hemlock’s warning, then tossing it to the side like soiled socks. 

The bar was just as rough as Rose had imagined. It was dark, gritty and there was a layer of stickiness to every single surface. Bikers, factory workers, and ladies of the night gathered together in the thick fog of cigarette smoke and country-western music. 

Rose and The Doctor found their place at a particularly sticky spot at the bar. Rose attempted to balance herself upon a rickety wooden stool, while The Doctor ordered them both a drink. A simple beer was the standard fair around those parts based on the patrons. That, or straight whiskey. The Doctor spun around on his stool and scanned the scene curiously. A husband and wife duo were arguing in a booth, a heavily intoxicated man hit on a working girl who had no time for it, and a fight was just starting to break out between two men playing pool. 

“This is quite the place.” Rose leaned in and spoke loudly in The Doctor’s ear. He nodded his agreement as a pool cue went flying over their heads, followed by a table smashing under a man’s weight. 

“Safest place to be at a time like this, I reckon.” The Doctor took a sip of his beer then turned to the man next to him who was leaning heavily over his own beer. “S’cuse me, wondering if you might have had any strange weather in the past few weeks?”

“Herrm?!” The man leaned to one side and surveyed The Doctor like some kind of madman. 

“Unusual weather?” The Doctor tried again. The man grumbled something before standing up and walking away. The Doctor shrugged and began working on the next person over. Rose rolled her eyes and sighed. She took a big swig of her beer before getting up to use the washroom. She moved through the crowd of people easily, and headed down a hallway she had assumed would lead her to the right spot. 

There was a hand-drawn sign saying ‘Washroom’ with an arrow pointing down a darkened stairway. Rose followed the sign without a thought. The music began to fade as she continued lower and lower. Another hallway awaited at the end of the stairs, only this one wasn’t lit as well, and one of the fluorescent bulbs flickered menacingly. Rose didn’t mind, it was a very old building. She located the washroom door and entered without struggle. There were two stalls inside, and she wasted no time selecting one. Even the bathroom was dingy and ancient. Rose inspected the walls around her as she relieved herself, and noted several messages from patrons past. 

‘John Harrow is a damn cheater’ 

‘Don’t go home with Henk Vandersol, he’ll make you milk cows at 4am!’

‘Giselle, I know you slept with my man you dumb bitch’ 

‘Tammy was a Goddamn angel, I hope her killer burns in Hell.’

Rose left the stall feeling a little as though she had a better understanding of the women in Tanners Falls. The comradery they must have felt sitting in the same spot she had, swapping information with each other in their safe space. It made her feel as if now she was one of them. Let in on a secret girl code that only they could know about. She glanced at herself in the mirror, it had rusted corners and water spots flecked across it. A lipstick kiss was smeared just above her shoulder. She tossed her hair around a few times and tucked in her shirt just so. 

A scurrying sound seemed to draw Rose’s attention from the mirror. She quickly scanned the floor before deciding she’d had enough of that room. A swift exit from the bathroom and into the hall provided little relief. The hallway somehow seemed darker than before, and suddenly she missed the comfort of the other women she'd found just moments ago. Rose had to take a second to think over which way she’d come from. The scurrying sound returned and she found herself decided quickly that she’d come from the right. Her eyes glanced around the floor, then back behind her as the scurrying began to grow louder. 

“What the hell is going on?” She muttered as she walked faster. "Do they not have inspectors in this country?" Suddenly she felt something run across her foot. Rose jumped and let out a small squeal. She looked down but nothing was there. She shook her head. “Get a grip.” She whispered to herself as she rubbed her hands over her face. As her hands fell to her sides, her eyes slowly opened and began to focus on the now blackened hallway floor. Had a light gone out? Rose furrowed her brow and her vision became clear. A shriek erupted from inside her as the scene unfolded before her. Dozens of big fat rats were scurrying all around her feet. Rose began bouncing on her toes as she kicked them away. Panic was building as the number of rats seemed to grow. She made a break for it and ran towards the stairs. The rats pursued, scurrying and nipping at her ankles. As she reached the staircase and made to bound up them, another figure emerged from the light and caused her to scream. 

“Woah! Rosie, what the Hell?” It was Jack. He was coming down to use the washroom. 

“Run, Jack!” She said frantically. “The rats!!” Jack looked confused as Rose tried to push past him. He clutched onto her shoulder. 

“Stop! Stop. What rats??” Rose paused. Then looked back down the perfectly normal hallway. She blinked a few times, looked down at her feet in confusion, then back to a curious Jack. 

“I… thought I saw a rat…” Rose was shaken. Surely she hadn’t just imagined that.

“I’m not at all surprised.” Jack shrugged. “But don’t worry, I’m not afraid of rats.” Rose was still looking all around the floor anxiously. 

“All the same,” She said, suddenly looking up to meet Jack’s eyes. “I think you’d be better to go in your room.” Jack scanned Rose carefully, he could see she was shaken, he could see she was anxious, so he nodded and helped her back upstairs. 

When they arrived back at the busy bar, The Doctor was having some trouble with a working girl who was turning all his questions around on him. He looked a bit exasperated as he tried to rephrase a question in what Rose could only assume was the third or fourth time. Upon seeing Rose, The Doctor instantly brightened, and it warmed Rose’s heart. 

“Ah, thought I lost you.” He grinned warmly. “Rose, this is Nancy. Nancy, this is Rose Tyler.” Nancy looked Rose over with a look that wreaked of wasted efforts. 

“Nice to meet you.” She stated with such disinterest, but Rose could barely blame her. 

“Likewise.” Rose offered politely. 

“Nancy was telling me that there was a rather unusual thunderstorm a few weeks ago. Worst they’d had in a while. Several close strikes, apparently the power was out for a few days.” The Doctor explained happily. Nancy nodded as if to confirm the information. 

“Damn hydro, I missed my soaps.” She said with annoyance. The Doctor nodded sympathetically for her. Then suddenly Nancy caught sight of Jack, and quickly the smile she’d once painted on for The Doctor had returned. “Oh, hello- and you are?” Her voice was no silkier than it had been a moment before. 

“Captain Jack Harkness.” Jack took her hand in his and kissed it tenderly. 

“Oh, a real gentleman!” Nancy gasped. “And a Captain?" She looked him up and down carefully. "Play your cards right and this one could be on the house.” And with that ambiguous statement the two disappeared into the thick gaggle of patrons. Rose shook her head and found her way back to her stool. The Doctor joined her. 

“What happened?” The Doctor asked suddenly, causing Rose to startle ever so slightly. He was leaning into her and speaking quietly, his question seemed one of genuine concern. Rose picked at the label on her beer and took deep breath. 

“What do you mean?” She asked, pulling her eyes away from the label picking and meeting The Doctor’s intimidating gaze.

“Something happened to you, I can tell.” The Doctor stated as if it were the most normal statement in the world. Rose quirked her eyebrow, then focused her attention back to the label. “You seem unsettled, less interested…” He could have gone on but Rose let out a big sigh and spun to herself to face him fully. 

“Alright, yeah, something happened.” The Doctor grinned triumphantly and readjusted his jacket. He loved to be right. Then his face grew serious once again as he leaned in, urging Rose to continue. “I had some kind of… hallucination… I think.” The Doctor nodded slowly. 

“Rats?” Rose blinked several times in shock.

“H-how did you-?” 

“I’m The Doctor, that’s how.” And with a cheeky grin, he took her by the hand and pulled her off her stool. “Come on, we’re finished here.”

————

Back in the hotel room, Rose paced the floor anxiously. Her mind was trying to piece everything together the way The Doctor’s had. Clearly he knew exactly what was going on, and the fact that he was keeping Rose in the dark really unsettled her. More than the rats ever could. He always monologued, why was he now keeping it all so close to the vest?

The door between rooms was open, and The Doctor was in the washroom inspecting the pipes under the sink. Rose didn’t question it, he was always tinkering with things. Instead, she marched into the bathroom and began to tap impatiently on the porcelain sink. 

“You brought me to the bar as bait.” She stated with mild irritation. 

“And to ask a few questions.” The Doctor confirmed without looking at her. That made Rose even more irritated. 

“So you admit it?" She crossed her arms. "You knew something like that would happen. You asked me what I was afraid of before we went down, then I just happen to see it.” The Doctor didn’t answer. Instead he abandoned whatever he was tinkering with and wiped his hands carelessly on his pants. He still didn’t look at Rose as he passed her and exited the bathroom. 

"Well done," The Doctor praised genuinely. His flippant manner was only raising Rose's temper. 

“You weren’t reading my signs at all, were you? You just knew I would see rats down there.” She was beginning to feel a little betrayed, she thought they had a special bond, and here he was treating her like a simple pawn that didn't matter. She followed The Doctor as he began digging through drawers around the room. “You don’t even care. You knew I’d be frightened out of my mind and you sent me down. You don’t give a shit about me, do you?” The Doctor stopped in his tracks and turned to face her, so swiftly in fact that Rose nearly bumped into him. They were so close that his face was inches above her own. His face was serious, almost tortured as he stared down at her.

“I care about you more than I’ve ever cared for anyone.” The Doctor stated so firmly that it caused Rose’s heart to stop mid beat. The silence that fell between them made the obvious sudden warmth of her body seem all too overwhelming, and Rose was forced to take a step back.

“T-then why?” Rose asked quietly.

“I knew you could handle it.” The Doctor answered as he spun away from her once more to carry on whatever strange task he was performing. Rose gripped his shoulder and spun him back to face her. He looked half impressed by her forcefulness. 

“What would you have done if I couldn’t?” Silence fell between them again. The Doctor scanned Rose’s face as if he were going to find his response there. 

“I don’t know…” He answered truthfully. Rose nodded her head and began to turn away. Even if he did care about her more than anyone, it only spoke volumes about how little he cared for literally everyone else. It wasn’t all that surprising, he regularly forgot Jack was even onboard the TARDIS. She made her way to the open door and closed it once she reached her side. The Doctor made no attempt to follow. She knew he wouldn’t. This would just be one of those things they would forget about and move on from. Save the next world.

Rose tugged off her jeans awkwardly and tossed them to the floor before climbing into bed. The sheets were too starched, but she crawled into them anyway. She began to think about the rats once more. Clearly, they were dealing with some sort of alien that creates your worst fear. There were currently fifteen deaths somehow connected to it. Rose stared up at the ceiling and furrowed her brow as she tried to connect the pieces. The alien was somehow scaring people to death. If that was the case then how could they possibly hope to catch it, or stop it? What did it look like? Was it the rats? Or did it trick her mind into seeing the rats? Rose shifted uncomfortably to her side and smacked her pillow a few times. If the alien kills with fear, then would any sort of fear kill her? How would they know if the alien was around?

Rose looked at the glow of the moon through the window. Her heart began to beat faster. What if it was able to get into her room? What if all she had to do was think of it to get scared and die? Her heart raced faster. She suddenly sat up and threw the sheets off of herself. She crossed the floor and wrenched open the door to The Doctor’s room. Pride be damned, she wasn't about to die of fright in the night over a row. She suddenly felt like her five-year-old self, standing in the darkened doorway of her mother’s bedroom after a particularly rough nightmare. The Doctor was staring out the window, he turned his head slightly to acknowledge her entrance. 

“It kills with fear.” She stated. The Doctor nodded slowly. “It kills with fear and you sent me down there.” The Doctor turned and shrugged. 

“Well, we had to know for sure-“

“Shut it-“ Rose held up her hand. “As much as you deserve the slap of your life, I’ll be angry with you later,” Her hand dropped and The Doctor eyed her curiously. “Right now I just need you to sleep with me.” The Doctor’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, then a slow cheeky grin began to form. 

“Well, alright but I warn you it’s been a while-“ Rose threw both her hands up this time. 

“No, no, I mean-“ She paused. “How long exactly?” The Doctor shrugged humbly and released a big breath of air as he looked to the side as if trying to think back. 

"Hasn't been a vintage several hundred years, anyway." Rose stared at him in disbelief. "There was a war on." He defended. Rose shook her head. 

“No, never mind. I just-“ She took a deep breath. “I can’t sleep thinking this great spooky alien is going to try to scare me to death all night. I just… could you? Please?” Rose blushed and looked at the floor. Her bare feet were pointed inwards shyly and her hands were anxiously tugging her shirt down to conceal herself. The picture of innocence. The Doctor smiled warmly, he couldn't help himself. He nodded. He followed Rose into her room and watched her crawl into bed. 

Rose twisted and pulled her sheets up fussily to her chin and nestled down into her pillow as if she were a small child. She let out a big sigh. Her eyes fell on The Doctor, standing like a statue at the foot of her bed. That image on its own was creepy enough. Rose pursed her lips awkwardly. 

“Are you going to stand there like that all night?” 

“Isn’t that what you wanted?”

“Well, yeah,” Rose shifted awkwardly under the sheets. “It’s just… a little unsettling… doesn’t really help…” The Doctor frowned and crossed his arms. 

“What would you prefer?” They stared at each other in silence for a moment before Rose let out a big groan. 

“Oh! Don’t make this weird, Doctor!” Rose blushed furiously. “Just get in the bed and pretend to sleep or something!” The Doctor smiled and rounded the side of the bed. Rose could feel her heart racing, and she wondered if The Doctor was just messing with her. He lifted the bedsheet and attempted to step in. “Woah- hey- what are you doing?” 

“You said-?”

“With boots and a jacket on?” Rose look scandalized. “You really are alien.” 

“Well… yeah?” The Doctor stepped back and pulled off his Jacket, then sat on the edge of the bed to untie his boots. Rose listened as each boot hit the floor with a soft thud. There was something almost erotic about that sound. She rarely saw him without his jacket on, and never without boots... it was almost like seeing a Victorian woman's ankles. She vaguely wondered if he ever took his boots off. The Doctor stood and turned and raised his arms as if asking for approval. Rose scrunched her nose. “What?” He asked, clearly tiring of this game. 

“You sleep in denim?” She asked in an unintentionally squeaky voice. “Isn’t that... uncomfortable?” 

“Rose Tyler,” The Doctor broke into a grin. “You trying to get me naked? Is that it?” 

“No!” Rose’s face was scarlet, but her brow was furrowed in defensive rage. “I know you think humans are so primitive and all, but I’m not so primitive that I can’t lie in a bed with someone and have it be completely plutonic.” 

“Right.” He said before unbuttoning his jeans. Rose turned away. Okay, maybe she was that primitive. She rolled onto her side and pulled the sheets over her shoulder. The soft thud of fabric hitting the ground, and the movement of sheets behind her signaled that The Doctor was crawling into bed. Once she was certain the sheets were pulled up, Rose rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling.

The two stared straight up at the roof. Both lying like bodies in the morgue down the street. Rose bit her lip. What a strange, and almost surreal moment. Lying in bed with The Doctor, mostly undressed, as if he were just some bloke and not a nine-hundred-year-old alien. She was so worried about being afraid and luring out the alien, now there was very little chance of any feelings of fear creeping her way. All she could think about was the body next to hers. She attempted a casual glance to the side, and very vaguely caught a glimpse of The Doctor staring at the ceiling thoughtfully. This was silly, they were mates. She was determined not to make it weird. 

“How will we stop it, Doctor?” Rose asked, splitting the silence. 

“No idea.” The Doctor confessed. 

“What if it kills someone tonight?” The Doctor didn’t answer that time. “Have you seen this before?”

“I’ve only read about it.” He answered. “It’s a species that feeds off fear to survive. Moves across the universe in search of species to feed off of. The corpses are the result of the fear literally being extracted from the body. Fear is tied to the soul, as it’s a powerful emotion. It basically takes your whole life force. Think of it like, the soul is a chicken and your fear is the garnish.” Rose nodded silently in the dark. “It’s come here, to this sad little town to feed off the fear that’s festering here… if we can’t stop it, it’ll just move on to a bigger town, and so on.” 

“What does it look like?” 

“Nothing.” The Doctor shrugged. “It only manifests into a physical and visual form when fear is sensed.” Rose nodded. She had been right to ask The Doctor to stay with her. Perhaps her constant dreading would have lured the creature to her. She shivered. “You cold?”

“Maybe a little.” Rose silently wished she’d gone down to the TARDIS to get her overnight bag. The Doctor shifted and raised an arm up and over Rose’s head. 

“C’mere.” He spoke softly. Rose felt her heart skip a beat once more. She silently obeyed and shuffled close to his side. She was a little more than shocked to find he’d taken off his jumper as well. The Doctor draped his arm cozily around Rose, her head comfortably on his chest. It felt very natural, and yet, at the same time, very unnatural. This was The Doctor, shirtless, in her bed, snuggling? Rose was nearly overwhelmed, but she decided to keep it to herself. “Better?” The Doctor asked. 

“Much,” Rose replied quietly. “Thanks.” Silence came after that. The soft glow of the streetlights poured through the window as the two lay motionless. Rose listened as two hearts pounded beneath her ear. What a strange sensation that was. A stark reminder that she was in fact, snuggling a being from another world. Something about it made her feel very safe and relaxed. She focused on the sound and feeling and allowed it to ease her mind. 

“I’m sorry.” The Doctor whispered, causing Rose to make a soft and questioning humm. “For sending you to face a fear you weren’t prepared for. It was stupid, reckless and heartless.” He let out a sigh. “and I’m sorry.” 

“S’okay.” Rose muttered sleepily into his chest. “I forgive you.” The Doctor grew silent once more. "I'll always forgive you." Those words fell heavy on his hearts as he thought of their possible futures. “What’s your biggest fear, Doctor?” Rose asked through a yawn. The Doctor clenched his jaw as he considered his answer. 

“I’m not really sure… perhaps I’m not afraid of anything anymore.” Rose hummed softly in response. “Lots of skeletons in this old closet… lot’s of ghosts roaming around in here.” He tapped his head, then he paused, lost in thought as the ghosts tempted to come forward in his mind. “It’s like, the older you get, the more numb you become.” Rose’s heavy breathing signaled to The Doctor that she’d fallen asleep and could no longer hear his words. He took a deep breath and let it go. His hand slid ever so gently along the skin of Rose’s arm, so soft and pale in the dim street lights. His hand gently tucked stray locks that covered her youthful face behind her ear. Then he tilted his head down slowly to plant a light kiss to her temple. His eyes found the ceiling once more… perhaps there was something he feared after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, I got super busy, so much for Halloween I guess.

**Author's Note:**

> Just a fun thing I wrote a long time ago, then sat on. I decided to post because it's Halloween time!


End file.
